RCVYS Annual Report 2011-12
description
Transcript of RCVYS Annual Report 2011-12
RCVYS Reading Children’s & Voluntary
Youth Services
Providing support, advice, representation and
information for its member organisations
RCVYS
Annual Report
2011 - 2012
RCVYS Chairman’s Comments
The Voluntary Sector nationally is undergoing a period of consideration
challenge, with these national commentators making some important points:
Deborah Alcock Tyler, Directory of Social Change
Third Sector Magazine - 22nd
May 2012:
“Many charities are struggling for money, closing down projects and
making staff redundant. And the lament is one of despair and
despondency: “It’s so hard”; “There’s no money”; “How can we survive?”;
“It’s always a battle”; “We’re knackered” and so on.”
In Deborah Alcock Tyler’s mind this is all true, but not new.
Craig Dearden-Phillips, Social Entrepreneur
Third Sector Magazine - 12th
June 2012:
“Why do so many charities dance to the discordant tune of collaboration?
Why do charities spend so much time forming partnerships that yield no
reward?”
Both have key messages for us as a sector in coping with the new challenges
faced.
The charitable sector has of course faced difficult times, the difference this time
is that the government over the last 10 years has been promoting a culture of
collaboration and encouraging an investment in charities’ capacity to deliver
against contracts. However, I believe that we must never forget the core value
and purpose of our work. Our partners are very important, but the value of our
partnership has to be measured in the outcomes for our service users.
With this in mind, over the last year the RCVYS Executive has endeavoured to
ensure that we have prioritised our valuable but limited resources into areas of
work with the highest possible value to our Members, and our other partners.
The RCVYS Executive have also received significant feedback through a review
of our service, which concluded that 97% of those asked in an anonymous
survey were satisfied or very satisfied with the support and services provided
by RCVYS.
Whilst the VCF sector does need to be less reliant on ‘traditional’ sources of
funding and seek to identify alternative and more diverse incomes, we also
need to be better at highlighting and presenting the value of our work to both
partners and funders, and in turn, raising the profile of the excellent work of
the local VCF sector.
David Seward - RCVYS Chairman
Identifying needs in the local community and
facilitating improvements in service provision to
meet those needs
• In 2011/12, RCVYS ensured that its members’ views on a variety of
key areas were heard and considered within the design services.
These included: supporting families, youth counselling, services for
young people, young people and alcohol and child sexual
exploitation to name a few.
• At our RCVYS Members Meeting in October, RCVYS Members had
the opportunity to highlight a range of gaps in provision to meet
the needs of their service users. RCVYS then collated this
information and presented this to the Commissioning Team at
Reading Borough Council.
Making a difference...
RCVYS has played a key role in Reading’s Innovations Project over the last
two years. The Innovations Project used ethnographic research
techniques to listen to and report on the lived experiences of parents in
South Reading, and to identify key challenges for parents.
From this research, a multi-agency group was set up to use Blue-printing
and Prototyping techniques to plan a project to enable groups of parents
to offer parenting support amongst other parents in their local
community.
The Parents Supporting Parents volunteering scheme was set up as part
of Sure Start Whitley Children’s Centre, and RCVYS provided key advice
around volunteer recruitment and management, and how to integrate
volunteers into the existing structures. The project went on to receive
national recognition when it was
awarded Highly Commended in the
Innovation category at the prestigious
LGC Awards 2012.
www.surestartwhitley.co.uk
Assisting local voluntary and community
organisations to function more effectively and deliver
quality services to the local community
• RCVYS has been continuing its campaign to ensure that voluntary
sector organisations have access to Children’s Safeguarding
Training, when and where they need it. 16 individuals from VCF
sector groups attended a Train the Trainer course and are now
qualified to deliver the Universal Safeguarding Children Training.
RCVYS also held 2 Designated Persons Training Courses where 15
people received training in how to handle safeguarding incidents in
their organisations.
• RCVYS has continued to produce its Newsletter, informing a wide
range of organisations about some of the key messages they need
to know. The RCVYS Mailing List has disseminated over 190 pieces
of news and information to its members this year .
• In March 2012, the National Council for Voluntary Youth Services
and RCVYS held a national conference looking at working with
young people from a Health and Well-being perspective. This event
helped groups to understand the new format of the NHS in
England, and explored many of the different opportunities
available.
Making a difference...
CATSYPP Reading works with children and young people aged 8 to 14
years old with a diagnosis of high-functioning autism or Asperger
Syndrome to provide weekly social activities and summer camps with
specially trained staff.
As a result of attending the RCVYS Designated Persons Training, the
Co-ordinator has taken the opportunity to simplify and update their
Children’s Safeguarding Policy and Procedures, discuss safeguarding
scenarios with people from similar organisations, and identify possible
areas of service development for the future.
www.catsyppreading.org.uk
Facilitating effective communication and networking
for local community groups
• In September 2011, as part of Reading Borough Council’s
Community Family Support Tender, RCVYS and RVA hosted a
Networking and Partnership-forming event with potential bidders.
This event enabled interested organisations to identify themselves
as Primary or Secondary partners and to facilitate conversations
about joint working to deliver this contract. The event involved
nearly 20 people taking part in a series of conversations in a
‘Dragons’ Den’/Speed-dating style.
• In January 2012, RCVYS had its 10th Anniversary Celebration Event
where nearly 70 people got together to celebrate RCVYS’
achievements over the last decade. This event also enabled
different groups, statutory partners and friends to share more
about their work and to meet new people in a relaxed and friendly
atmosphere.
Making a difference...
As part of the Reading Children’s Trust Work Shadowing Programme, the
RCVYS Development Worker and a Duty Manager from the Access and
Assessment Team from Children’s Social Care spent time finding out
more about each other’s work.
The Duty Manager found out more about the wide range of groups and
organisations working with children, young people and families in
Reading, met with 2 groups, and was introduced to the RVA Directory
and other ways of finding out about VCF Sector groups.
The RCVYS Development Worker spent a day with the Access and
Assessment Team exploring more about their work and observing and
inputting into case assessments. As a part of that day, the RCVYS
Development Worker was able to link a lady and her young son into a
local cultural organisation that have helped them settle into a house in
Reading, and become a part of the local community here in Reading.
www.reading.gov.uk/a-to-z/a/access-and-assessment-team
Enabling the views of the local voluntary and
community sector to be represented on partnership
groups, and promoting effective working
relationships and two-way communication
• RCVYS Representatives have served on 21 committees, groups,
meetings and forums in Reading, Berkshire, and on a national
reference group.
• RCVYS has had a strong voice on Reading Children’s Trust, with the
RCVYS Development Worker again being re-elected as Vice Chair of
Trust, and the two RCVYS Representatives becoming Thematic
Scrutineers. Together, they have been involved in many of the key
decisions for children’s services over the last year, and have
encouraged greater partnership working and communication.
• RCVYS had enabled its Members to have a strong voice into the
changes to the delivery of youth services in Reading, by collating
Member responses to the initial consultation, and by holding a
dedicated focus group.
Making a difference...
Home-Start Reading provide a home visiting service for families with
children under 5 years of age, by matching them with a trained volunteer
to provide bespoke support, encouragement and friendship.
RCVYS was part of the Local Safeguarding Children Board Task Group
looking at ensuring that referrals into Children’s Social Care were both
appropriate and directed to the right place, by producing and distributing
a range of materials and guidance for all agencies.
The trustees, staff and volunteers at Home-Start Reading have found
these resources both helpful and reassuring, enabling them to more
accurately and effectively work with statutory services to support the
families they’re working with. As a result, 3 of the children they support
are now no longer subject to a Protection Plan.
www.home-start-reading.org.uk
Enhancing the voluntary and community sector’s role
as an integral part of local planning and
policy-making
• In September, RCVYS was commissioned by the Reading Borough
Council Early Years Team, to work with the wide range of Nurseries
and Pre-Schools to set up their own Providers’ Forum, manage
their own representation, and identify their own training needs. By
seconding an Early Years Providers Development Worker from a
RCVYS Member organisation, the new Reading Early Years
Providers’ Forum has now met 4 times, with over 75% of all
settings having attended. They also have representatives on 4
committees.
• Through involvement with the Innovations Project, RCVYS has been
working with Children’s Centres to better engage with their local
communities and VCF groups within their reach areas.
• RCVYS has played a key role a further two commissioned services
in Reading: Youth Counselling and Community Family Support. This
included helping to develop the service specifications and being
part of decision-making panels.
• RCVYS has continued to contribute to Reading Borough Council
Budget and Service Restructuring Consultations, ensuring that the
views of local voluntary sector organisations have been heard at
the highest level.
Making a difference...
Through its ongoing programme of visiting and networking, RCVYS has
helped to identify a number of different groups and schools that have
expressed a growing concern over the potential for Child Sexual
Exploitation here in Reading. RCVYS has helped to bring these groups
together through the LSCB.
By supporting the VCF groups to ensure that their views and perspectives
are helping to shape emerging strategies to proactively tackle the issue.
www.reading.gov.uk/lscb
RCVYS would like to thank the staff, Officers and Councillors
at Reading Borough Council for their continuing
financial support.
RCVYS 34 Parkside Road, Reading, Berkshire. RG30 2DD
Tel: 07872 958501
E-mail: [email protected]
www.rcvys.org.uk
Bernadette Adams
Adrian Barker
Tim Clewer
Ben Cross
Tessa Dove
Karen Dwyer
Sarah Emery
Lyn Griffiths
Mary Jacobs
Jill Lake
Cathy Lamsdale
Leslie Macdonald
Sarah Mayhew
Jackie Oversby
Gareth Owen
Karen Ross
David Seward
Alison Steedman
Natausha Van Vliet
Chris West
RCVYS would also like to acknowledge its appreciation and thanks to
the following people for their service to the Voluntary, Community and
Faith sector this last year, as RCVYS Exec Members and RCVYS
Representatives on the following committees, groups and forums.
Reading Children’s Trust (RCT) Board
RCT Agenda Setting Group
RCT Early Years Intervention Group
RCT Integrated Prevention Group
RCT School Improvement Group
RCT LDD Strategy Group
RCT ‘Think Family’ Steering Group
RCT CAF/ISA Group
Domestic Violence Strategy Group
Local Safeguarding Children Board (LSCB)
LSCB Training Sub-Group
LSCB Safer Recruitment Sub-Group
North Locality Steering Group
South Locality Steering Group
East Locality Steering Group
West Locality Steering Group
NEET Task Force
Innovations Project Group
The Compact
ChangeUp Reading
RCVYS Executive Committee
A final big thank you must go to the Stronger Together team. The project
finished at the end of September 2011, and over the last 3 years provided
RCVYS and the wider VCF sector with great support in a number of areas.